EXCLUSIVE | Slate Auto walkaround: is Amazon’s game-changing EV the anti-Cybertruck?
Don’t be fooled by this dinky gray pickup that I found on the roof of a multi-story car park in Los Angeles. It may look relatively unassuming, but this is the first vehicle from an American startup called Slate Auto, and I think it’s the most exciting vehicle I’ve seen in years and years. Why? Stick with me to find out. So, what is it about this that’s got me so excited? Well, when it rolls off the production line, every slate will be like this. Basic gray, identical, a blank slate, if you like, until you get your hands on it. And then you can transform it into whatever you want it to be. Fancy an SUV? No problem. Maybe a fastback? There is a kit for that. How about a beach buggy? Yes, you can make that happen, too. Basically, you can get a whole range of interchangeable kits that fit on the back of the basic truck to transform it. And then there are the colors. There are a whole range of wraps, decals, stickers, accessories that allow you to personalize this to your heart’s content. No two slates will ever be the same. You got to think of this as kind of Lego for grown-ups, only much more fun cuz you get to drive it afterwards. I like to think of the Slate as the anti-cyber truck because it’s as cool and paired back as the Cybert truck is excessive and over the top. At 4.4 m long, the slate shorter than a typical Ford Ranger or Toyota Hilux, generally just more compact, making it easier to maneuver and park. So before we check out the truck itself, let’s chat about Slate. They emerged from stealth mode earlier this year. They’re an American startup. They’re based in Michigan, which of course is the real heartland of the American car industry. Uh management team is made up of former uh Tesla, Volvo, and GM execs. We’ve seen loads of electric car startups coming out of the states over the past few years. I think what’s different for me about Slate is that it’s backed by one, Mr. Jeff Bezos, founder of course of Amazon. Um, now he’s got a significant amount of money to put behind this, but it’s also a real super smart concept because you don’t need to be a billionaire to be able to afford one. Slate are aiming for a starting price of under $25,000, which is cheaper than really any EV on sale in America right now. Certainly cheaper than any electric pickup. And let’s face it, if there’s one thing Americans love, it’s pickups. They sell close to 3 million of them a year. Some more numbers for you. It comes with a 53 kWh battery as standard, which gives a modest range of about 150 mi. There’s also the option of an 84 kWh battery with a range of around 240 mi. An onboard AC charger will deliver up to 11 kW with DC fast charging topping out at 120. You get a single motor powering the rear wheels which gives 200 horsepower. naugh to 60 in around 8 seconds. Slight change of venue because we’ve just been chucked off the roof. So, we’re now one story down. Um, look, back of the truck. This is where I think all the magic happens. Before I get started and all that, let me just say what a joy it is to be able to sit on the back of a truck as a 5’4 woman and my feet be able to touch the floor. I know I’ve got high boots on, but you can really sense the fact that there have been women involved in the design of this vehicle. Tish, who’s the design director, is an ex Volvo designer. Chris, who’s the CEO, is XGM, and I think you can sense that about this car. It doesn’t feel like it’s been built for macho drivers. It just feels like it’s been built for everyone, which I love. So, what happens here um is there are little runners here and the different body kits, which incidentally, um get delivered in IKEA style flat packs. I wonder if they come on Amazon Prime. Wouldn’t that be fun? Um anyway, they fit onto the back. So, the rear windscreen just pops out. Really simple. You put your kit on the back, whether that’s your SUV or your fastback or whether you want the California style beach buggy. And then the windscreen, if you need it, clips back onto the end. Job done. Um the team from Slate have assured me that it’s actually really easy to do. You’re not going to need an engineering degree or an overly complex set of spanners to fit it. The whole idea is that you should be able to do it at home in your garage um easily so that it’s offers that real flexibility for day-to-day use. Oh, and by the way, airbags for the rear seat passengers are built into a roll cage that you’ve got to add and clip firmly into place. And the vehicle won’t start until it knows that that has been connected. I love this so much. As I said, it’s like Lego for grown-ups. I used to love Lego. Cleverly, the Slates panels are injection molded plastic. Easy to make, affordable, simple to replace. They simply screw on. So, if something gets damaged, you can swap it out cheaply and quickly. Keeping every panel the same color of gray cuts cost, too, because paint shops, well, they’re expensive to build. Slate reckons that skipping one has saved them around half a billion dollars. And honestly, it’s so much more fun to customize it yourself with the wraps and the decals and the accessories and the body kit. In terms of day-to-day practicality, you have to think about this as a pickup light. So, it has a payload of about 650 kg. That’s way below um vehicles like the Ford Ranger or of course the Mammoth massive Cybert truck. Um I always think for pickups the ideal payload is that one ton bag that you get from the builder’s merchants. So you’re not going to be able to get that on there. It is far more modest, but I think what most people will be using this for is a lifestyle vehicle. Let’s put the dogs in the back. Let’s get the bikes and the surfboard in. And then if you need to use it as a bit of a workhorse as well, you’ll be able to do that. Once you’ve decided on your body style, the next bit is colors. I have spent way too long on the configurator, which they actually call the slate maker, which I love, just specking loads of different options. There are wraps and there are decals and there are accessories. You know, there are things that you can clip onto the roof, roof bars. You can choose a bumper, no bumper, you can have fog lights or not. They are literally endless. the choices on there. My current favorite is jungle gem green with this kind of 70s style striped uh decal all along the side. I absolutely love it. I might might have paid a deposit on one. Um if you haven’t already, go and have a play around on that cuz that’s where you really get an idea um of what it is that makes Slate stand out from the competition. Um you’ll thank me for it honestly even if your bank balance won’t. Do you remember the days when cars were simple? No massive screens, no infotainment systems that get angry with you and bing and bong. If you do, and like me, you miss those days, then this is the car for you. Look how simple and paired back it is in here. Um, look, do bear with me because this is obviously a very, very early prototype. So, yeah, of course, not all the panels are there. Um, but I do like the simplicity. These I haven’t seen in years. proper winders for the windows. Don’t worry if you don’t want your aunt to get a workout, you can opt for electronic ones which are fitted as an aftermarket accessory. Um, infotainment screen. Well, that would be your phone. So, your phone just clips into that mount there. If there’s an overtheair update for the vehicle, goes to your phone. Clever. If you want a bigger screen, you can also opt for a mount for your iPad. There is one small screen in front of you here that gives you all the basics. There’ll be um cameras in there for reversing. It’s got speed in your gears, all of that. But it just is old school, isn’t it? It’s got a proper steering wheel. Um again, everything else that you’ll want in here will be added as an aftermarket accessory. You’ll be able to, you know, put different colors in here, have different things that will clip on, different storage compartments that will go here in the middle. Just like the outside, there will be an absolute myriad of things that you can do in here. The seats again pretty basic but you know chunky foam they feel quite comfy. I just love its simplicity because I think that is the whole charm of this vehicle. Building just one basic body style should make production which is due to start in autumn 2026 quicker and simpler. The factory is being built in Indiana right in the American Midwest rather handy when you’ve got a president who’s keen on import tariffs. Even the NMC battery cells come from a Korean supplier which will ultimately be built in a US plant and the first customers should get their cars towards the end of 2026. I know that we’ve been here before with American startups. Um exactly 2 years ago I was here in Los Angeles driving the Fisker Ocean for the first time. Remember that? Um but I just don’t see Slate going the same way as Fiska. I mean because it’s just so different. It’s just such a brilliant piece of design because it’s affordable, because it’s cool, because Jeff Bezos and he’s got big pockets. But I do think the biggest because is because how fun it is. Honestly, if you haven’t, like I said, get on the slate maker, spec your design, please share it with us. You can email it to [email protected]. We would love to see what you come up with. Um, and if you aren’t already, subscribe to the channel cuz we are going to be driving this in 2026. And that is the first drive you’ll want to see.
Join Ginny Buckley for an exclusive first look at the all-new Slate pick-up, a budget EV that could shake up the entire segment. With Amazon stepping into the EV arena, the industry is watching closely: is this the moment everything changes?
In this walkaround, Ginny explores the design, capability and tech that set the Slate apart. From its clever cargo solutions to its futuristic in-cab interface powered by Alexa, the Slate promises to blend toughness with next-gen intelligence.
Is Amazon’s entry into electric pick-ups a genuine game-changer, or just another tech giant testing the waters? Ginny breaks down what matters from range to charging and asks whether this EV is built for work, adventure, or both.
#EV #ElectricPickup #SlatePickup #GinnyBuckley #AmazonEV
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